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How Likely is Zenefits to Change?

Zenefits changed CEOs the other day and its new leader declared the company’s old culture inappropriate. He promised to instill new values in the company. All well and good. But is meaningful change really likely at Zenefits?

Founder Parker Conrad is out as Zenefits CEO and David Sacks, until yesterday its chief operating officer, is now in charge. The reason: lax compliance procedures leading to investigations by Washington state and others concerning Zenefits allegedly selling insurance policies through unlicensed agents. If found guilty by Washington regulators, Zenefits could face a criminal fine of as much as $2.75 million, see some employees go to jail and potentially lose millions in commission dollars. While unlikely, that is what’s at stake.

Perhaps this situation is a result of incompetence and naiveté by the company’s management. Maybe. Then again, it could be the result of a culture that puts growth above adherence to the rules–an “act now and ask for forgiveness later” attitude–an approach sometimes applauded and rarely condemned in Silicon Valley and similar locales; unless, that is, it hurts the bottom line.

I don’t doubt Mr. Sacks’ commitment or intentions. But is Zenefits really likely to change its core values? Can it transform its culture? The problem, as I see it, is that the company, its values and culture reflects those of Silicon Valley. That is both a blessings and a curse.

However, being of the Silicon Valley also means Zenefits exists in a bubble (not the stock market crashing kind, but the island of unreality variety). For example, none of the executives listed on Zenefits’ site has any background in human resources, payroll or insurance sales. Yet those are what the company does. Outside the Silicon Valley this would raise eyebrows, maybe even create concern. Not there. Of course, they have direct reports with subject matter expertise, but none of the company’s top eight leaders (nine before Mr. Conrad’s departure) does? Looks like a bubble to me.

Mr. Sacks is a Silicon Valley rock star. In a December 2014 Pando’s article reporting Mr. Sacks joining Zenefits as chief operating officer Mr. Conrad was quoted as saying “When you have an opportunity to hire LeBron, you hire LeBron.” And it was an apt analogy. Mr. Sacks is good. Extremely good. He was the first COO of PayPal and founding CEO of Yammer (purchased by Microsoft for $1.2 billion). He knows how to run a company–a Silicon Valley company.

It’s also true that Mr. Sacks has been COO and a board member of Zenefits for a year now. Doesn’t that make him part of the company’s “old” culture? As chief operating officer, did he have at least some responsibility for knowing of Zenefits’ compliance problems? Maybe he did and he raised the alarm internally months ago. Maybe.

And that’s where Zenefits is at the moment, stuck in a vortex of maybes. Maybe it takes an insider to lead the company outside the Silicon Valley bubble. Maybe it takes someone who has seen the company’s failure to understand what can no longer be overlooked or ignored. Maybe Zenefits can both grow and follow rules. Maybe the company can swagger less and execute better.

Maybe. Who knows? Until we it’s clear Zenefits has the willingness and ability and to change, perhaps a bit of skepticism is in order. Maybe.

2 thoughts on “How Likely is Zenefits to Change?”

Mr. Sacks deserves an initial benefit of the doubt. His message to the employees seemed sincere. Hopefully that will project outside the company headquarters to clients, colleagues and an insurance industry that was snubbed and insulted.

Zenefits was a catalyst for many people to sit up and take notice of a changing environment. Under their new CEO, lets hope disruption takes place in a more positive manner.

I agree Mr. Sacks deserves the benefit of a doubt. And he’s saying the right thing. I just thought it was interesting that: 1) he’s been a part of the culture for the past year; and 2) Zenefits is a poster-child for the Silicon Valley bubble. I hope he builds a kinder, gentler Zenefits. And we should give him some time to make it happen.